Another round of snow could slow Tuesday's morning commute

Another Alberta Clipper, the third in as many days, is poised to pass through the tonight and Tuesday morning bring with it light winds and between 1 and 3 inches of snow.

Snow is expected to start falling around 7 p.m. Monday and continue through Tuesday's morning rush hour. If today was any indication, get ready for a long and difficult drive to work on Tuesday.

The light dusting the fell Sunday evening was enough to make roads slippery and icy where snow had melted and refroze. In many cases, drivers doubled or tripled their drive times Monday. A few spinouts and a handful of crashes complicated things.

Monday's drive seemed to be the worst in the south metro, particularly on Cedar Avenue, Hwy. 169 and 35W in places such as Apple Valley, Eagan, Burnsville, Shakopee and Bloomington.

East metro drivers might disagree as at one time the trip from Woodbury to downtown St. Paul was averaging 30 to 40 minutes for much of the rush hour and more than an hour to reach Minneapolis.

If the forecast holds true, drivers in the southern metro might fare better as the heavier amounts of snow should fall in the north and eastern suburbs. But any amount of snow has the potential to snarl traffic.

Side streets, lesser-traveled streets and alleys could be problematic. And walkers be ware of ice lurking under the snow cover on sidewalks and on rail platforms and bus stops.

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